Varilrix Vaccine

Varilrix Vaccine belongs to the class of medications called ‘immunizing agents’ used to prevent varicella or chickenpox. Chickenpox is a vaccine-preventable viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is highly contagious, especially in people who have never had the disease or have not been vaccinated against it. Symptoms include rash, small painful blisters, fever, sore throat, and body pain.

Varilrix Vaccine  is an immunizing agent or vaccine made from a live, weakened or attenuated varicella-zoster virus. It helps to provide persistent or long-lasting protection against varicella or chickenpox. Varilrix Vaccine helps develop immunity by forming antibodies by stimulating the immune system. It is essential to take the vaccine doses per the doctor’s advice for effective protection against the disease.

Varilrix Vaccine will be administered by a healthcare professional; hence do not self-administer. Varilrix Vaccine may cause side effects such as fever, pain, swelling, and redness at the injection site. These side effects are mild and temporary. However, if these side effects persist or worsen, inform your doctor immediately.

It is not recommended to take Varilrix Vaccine if you are allergic to neomycin or any contents present in this medicine. Varilrix Vaccine should not be given to people with blood disorders or cancer of the blood (leukaemia) or immune system (lymphoma), with a weak immune system, such as patients with HIV or AIDS, who are receiving immunosuppressants or receiving high doses of corticosteroids, who have active untreated tuberculosis, and who have a temperature higher than  38.50c Varilrix Vaccine should not be given to pregnant women and used with caution in breastfeeding mothers. Varilrix Vaccine is not recommended for children below 9 months of age. Varilrix Vaccine should be used with caution in elderly people. Varilrix Vaccine may not interact with alcohol and may not affect your driving ability.

Varilrix Vaccine provides active immunization against varicella-zoster virus or chickenpox disease for healthy individuals above nine months of age. It benefits people who are non-immune and at risk of infection, such as healthcare workers or workers in children's day-care centres, non-immune parents of young children, and non-immune household contacts of patients with weak immune systems with no history of the disease.  Vaccination within three days of exposure to the virus can reduce the risk of infection and the severity of the disease.

People who have been vaccinated with Varilrix Vaccine should avoid close contact for up to 6 weeks with the following individuals: who have not been previously vaccinated against chickenpox, children/adults/pregnant women who have never had chickenpox, who have a weak immune system or receiving immune suppressants, and new-born babies whose mother have never had chickenpox. Adults and children with weak immune systems who receive Varilrix Vaccine should be closely monitored as this vaccine is less effective in these people. In people who have undergone blood or plasma transfusion, who had taken human normal immunoglobulin or varicella-zoster immunoglobulin, Varilrix Vaccine vaccine should be avoided or postponed for at least five months in these people. Besides, people should not receive any immunoglobulin medicines for one month following Varilrix Vaccine . You should not take pain killer (aspirin) for six weeks following Varilrix Vaccine as it may cause Reye syndrome (a severe condition that causes liver and brain damage). Women of childbearing potential should use reliable contraceptive methods as it is not recommended to get pregnant for one month following Varilrix Vaccine vaccination.

• Varilrix Vaccine should not be given intravenously (IV). It is given under the skin or into the muscle. If given into the muscle, the upper arm area is preferred in adults, and the thigh area is preferred in children. The injection is usually given under the skin if you have a blood clotting disorder or thrombocytopenia (low levels of platelets).
• If there is a requirement to give more than one live virus vaccine simultaneously, these injections should be given at different sites. However, if it is not necessary to give them on the same day, they should be spaced at an interval of at least four weeks.